Since prehistoric times, genetics have been considered as one of the major factors that play a critical role in human development. This paper basically analyzes the important role that genetics have in human development and how parents' genes influence the traits of an offspring. In addition to this, the paper examines how abnormalities in genes can result in genetic and/or chromosomal disorders. The final part of the paper briefly explains Tay-Sachs disease with an analysis of its major causes, consequences, and the populations its more common.
Genetics and Development:
As a discipline of biology, genetics is basically considered as the science of genes, inheritance, and differences in living organisms. Since genes are common characteristics in living organisms, genetics is used in the study of all living systems including plants, humans, domestic animals, bacteria, and viruses. Generally, this biological discipline focuses on the molecular structure and operation of genes whose behaviors are in the context of organisms or cells. Additionally, genetics also deals with distribution of genes, differences and changes in population, and heredity patterns from parent to offspring. One of the main characteristics of the contemporary science of genetics is its focus on explaining the heredity process because living things inherit individuality from their parents. With the increasing discoveries by geneticists, this science of biology plays an integral role in the process of human development.
Genetics and Human Development:
As genetics has continued to capture popular science together with a few other disciplines in science, one of the major aspects of genetic science is its role in the process of human development. Actually, genetics and human development cannot be separated even with the increase in daily learning by geneticists. Unlike previous presumptions, the human genome is made up of fewer genes of approximately 30,000 rather than 120,000. Due to the fewer number of genes of the nematode, there is an intricate relationship between the genes and the difficult biological formations and behaviors of human beings.
Notably, a single gene has the ability of producing more than one protein that has serious outcomes in when linking genes to phenotypic results. As compared to previous notions, gene expression and the process of protein formation is more probabilistic and intricate. This is largely because gene expression is based on the movement of many other genes in the genome and great sensitivity to cellular and extra-cellular contexts. While genes are just a single factor in a structurally organized development system, they play a crucial participatory role. Actually the development system involves the bi-directional transactions across development between DNA, RNA, Organs, biological entities, cells, organ systems, and proteins.
In most cases, genes are usually separated from human development but are considered as the main causes or governors of developmental processes. This development process is normally governed by the act of increasing through transactions between organisms and environment. Therefore, the developmental process doesn't occur through a set of rules but rather made with every step of development. Based on this perspective, genes are critical and fundamental aspects of the development process. While they do not hold a special place in the process, genes act as one of the most important participatory factors in development (Partridge & Hanawalt, 2010).
Therefore, genetics play a crucial role in human development because of the participatory aspects of genes in the process. These genes are important to human development because they help in formation of bi-directional transactions together with other factors across development.
Transmission of Traits from Parents to Children:
The transmission of individuality from parents to children or offspring in human beings is an area that is under constant review and discoveries by researchers. Currently, traits are transmitted from parents through various means including DNA transmissions. These DNA transmissions are dependent on the genetic material and their patterns that the offspring inherits. DNA transmission through the inherited genetic material impacts the formation and functioning of neurological processes in a child. This determines the strength and weakness of an offspring's biological functioning as well as his/her cognitive capabilities.
DNA is made of four chemicals which are strung in extremely thin patterns in the cell that are normally in coiled strands. These four chemicals are known as adenine, thymine, cytosine and guanine and are commonly referred to ATC&G. The DNA patterns act as the codes for producing proteins, which enable the body to develop and function. Since genes contain chemicals for the production of proteins, they transfer this genetic information to new cells as cells duplicate. Notably, these genes can either be dominant or recessive resulting in dominant (visible) or recessive (unseen) traits in an individual (Bartoshesky, 2009). While dominant genes show their effect even in cases where only a single copy of the gene exists in the pair, recessive characteristics are evident when an individual has the gene on both chromosomes of the pair.
Chromosomal and Genetic Disorders:
One of the major factors that contribute to genetic disorders is gene mutation, which normally occurs when a person's cells have been exposed to radiation or certain chemicals or when the cells are aging. Generally, gene mutation occurs when cells contain changes or variations in the genetic information. When there are small mutations is a certain gene, the changes do not affect the chromosomes' structure resulting in little or no problems whereas certain changes can result in severe disorders. Children are likely to inherit gene mutations from their parents if these changes exist in the parents' egg or sperm cells.
Following the inheritance of genetic abnormalities, these children are likely to suffer from minor or severe genetic disorders. Given that the occurrence of many genetic abnormalities is still unclear, some of this instances happen spontaneously while other are brought by toxic substances. However, parents are likely to have similar abnormal genes when there is a union between close relatives, which enhances the possibility of a child to inherit a genetic disorder (Liptak, 2008).
Chromosomal disorders usually occur when there are chromosomal abnormalities that occur when there is addition or duplication, deletion, and misplacement of chromosomes. These abnormalities can affect all types of chromosomes in the human body including the sex chromosomes. While some of these abnormalities result in the death of embryo or fetus before birth, others can result in various disorders like heart problems, intellectual disabilities or mental retardation, cleft palate, seizures, and short stature. Children are likely to inherit chromosomal abnormalities that result in various disorders when either of the parents is very old. Similar to women, the older the man is, the greater the chances of having a baby with chromosomal abnormality or disorder.
Tay - Sachs disease:
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